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EXCLUSIVE — A Republican candidate running for U.S. House in New Mexico announced a “significant ad buy” in the Albuquerque media market, arguing that the Democratic Party, once supported by her “abuelos,” has abandoned the same values of Latinos when it comes to the open border and inflation.
“Our ad, ‘My Abuelos’, really goes back to the beginning for me,” Alexis Martinez Johnson, the Republican nominee for Congress in New Mexico’s 3rd District, said in a statement exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital. “It all began with my abuelos in Roswell. We didn’t have much, but I was raised with the values of hard work and self-determination. This spurred me on to eventually graduate college as an environmental engineer. However, with skyrocketing inflation, an unsecure border, and high gas prices, opportunity is further out of reach for New Mexicans than ever before.”
“That’s not what my Democrat abuelos believed in,” she added. “I am ready to continue my career’s work of providing common sense solutions. New Mexicans are not better off today than they were two years ago. This is a significant ad buy, and I’m looking forward to continuing to share our positive, conservative message across New Mexico.”
Alexis Martinez Johnson, Republican nominee for Congress in New Mexico’s 3rd District, is running against incumbent Democratic Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez.
(Alexis Martinez Johnson campaign)
The 30-second ad begins with photos of Martinez Johnson with her grandfathers during childhood and on her wedding day. “My abuelos raised me. My grandfather spent his days digging ditches to put food on the table. From there, I worked hard and graduated from college. My abuelos were staunch Democrats. They believed in hard work and self-determination,” she says in the ad.
The ad shows a July CNN headline about U.S. inflation hitting a 40-year high in June, driven by record gas prices. Another headline from August reads: “New Mexico: Second-highest violent crime rate in nation.”
“Today’s Democratic Party has left those values behind,” she says. “Inflation, gas prices, crime waves — Biden and Teresa Leger Fernandez are setting us back. I’m Alexis Martinez Johnson, and I approve this message because our families deserve so much better.”
Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, D-N.M., attends a rally on the House steps of the U.S. Capitol to voice opposition to the Supreme Courts leaked draft opinion indicating the Court will overturn Roe v. Wade, on Friday, May 13, 2022.
( Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Martinez Johnson grew up in Roswell and was raised by her grandparents.
“It was through their hard work and sacrifice that Alexis learned about New Mexican family values, which she has carried with her throughout her life,” according to her campaign.
Martinez Johnson’s career has been focused on ensuring high environmental standards in the Permian Basin while making sure energy was produced and jobs were kept so that New Mexico can thrive. Her campaign says, “she knows how to protect our environment while also ensuring that we protect our economy.” She lives with her husband, Christopher, and their four children in Santa Fe.
Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, D-NM, listens at a hearing with the House Administration subcommittee on Elections on June 24, 2021 in Washington, DC.
(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
“For Alexis, New Mexico is more than a place. It’s been her home, and she’s committed to making New Mexico one of the best states to do business and raise a family,” the campaign added.
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She is running against incumbent Democratic Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, elected in 2020 to the seat vacated by Democrat Ben Ray Luján during his run for U.S. Senate. A political progressive, Leger Fernandez was reportedly endorsed by the Working Families Party, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in that race.